


the flat's a mess, so are we

by cant_help_falling



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Autistic Dave Strider, Autistic Nepeta Leijon, Blind Terezi Pyrope, Emotional support animal, F/F, M/M, Nonbinary Eridan Ampora, baseball player vriska serket, jade harley has anxiety, nonbinary characters - Freeform, nonbinary nepeta leijon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25899142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cant_help_falling/pseuds/cant_help_falling
Summary: Dave, Jade, Kanaya and Terezi all move into university together and they meet some interesting people that they become a lot closer with than originally planned.
Relationships: Jade Harley/Nepeta Leijon, John Egbert/Karkat Vantas, Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam, Sollux Captor/Dave Strider, Terezi Pyrope/Vriska Serket
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this is gna be my first multichapter homestuck fic so please bear with me!! okay tysm!

"Right, y'all need to put any last boxes in the back of the truck because I need to fasten it all in nice and secure before we leave!" Dave called up the stairs as he picked up the last of his boxes. He was lucky he had such a big truck because moving the luggage of four college students was not a small job, especially when one of them was a fashion major and another needed to bring her dog too. As he stepped out of the door he heard a loud bang followed by a frustrated grumble. That was almost definitely Jade, probably trying and failing to carry two boxes at once in a hurry. As the only sensible one in the group, Kanaya had already loaded her boxes in the night before, as well as half of Terezi's. As he shoved his box in the back of his truck he heard the same thump as before again, this time followed by Jade stomping her foot and saying "Terezi why don't you help me carry them instead of just laughing at me!" Terezi just cackled in return, but promptly appeared at the end of the hallway, a box full of textbooks in hand.

The truck finally left the driveway around an hour and a half later, which was thirty minutes later than planned. This fact was stressing Dave out to no end, but he managed to stay calm as he slowly traced his finger around the edge of his sleeve. The hoodie was a birthday present from Kanaya and he wore it as often as he could. She purposefully used his favourite textures and colours when making it, and as a bonus, there were no annoying labels in the back to touch his neck.

It was Kanaya's turn to drive, which was a terrifying fact. Kanaya is a terrible driver, which isn't helped by the fact that she's on a busy highway travelling across states during summer break. If she could be anywhere else on Earth right now she absolutely would be but, unfortunately for her, she was stuck in a truck in Texas. Finally reaching the end of her tether she pulled over at the nearest service station and breathed a sigh of relief. 

Terezi immediately began chanting "McDonald's, McDonald's, McDonald's!" and was quickly joined by Jade. Kanaya looked at Dave in the rearview mirror and simply sighed before relenting. "You know what Terezi, we do deserve a McDonalds right now. We deserve it very much." Terezi and Jade cheered simultaneously and Dave winced slightly but laughed a little before undoing his seatbelt and climbing out of his truck. 

As they were eating, Jade suddenly sat very still. She leaned over to Kanaya and whispered into the taller girl's ear, her face very red. Halfway through whatever she was saying, Kanaya groaned loudly. "What's happening? Is there a problem?" Dave asked quickly, already anxious. "Jade left Bec's forms at your place, she can't take him into the dorms without them. We need to drive back." Kanaya sighed. Jade already had tears threatening to spill as her leg bounced under the table, clearly beginning to panic. Dave was unsure what to do in this situation, but leaned over and patted her hand gingerly. "Jade it's okay, Bec's papers are in the glovebox! I put them in there with my disability forms so they wouldn't get left behind. I thought I told you but I guess I forgot, I'm sorry to make you worry." he said sheepishly, upset at himself for not telling her. Kanaya perked up at this, obviously overjoyed at the idea of not having to drive more than necessary. Jade simply nodded before taking a deep breath and standing up. "We need to go if we want to get there before dark, right? We can finish our food on the way, plus I don't want to leave Bec in the car for too long, he might get too hot in there," she said, her voice shaking a little. Terezi jumped up at this and began walking towards the exit, the rest of her friends following behind her. 

They arrived on campus at around 8 pm, the sun almost setting. They arrived a few days later than most of the other students so that it wouldn't be too crowded and so that as soon as they arrived they could get into their rooms. The next day they had orientation with the rest of the people living in their building, so Dave and Terezi would have to visit the disability services the day after. Kanaya quickly left to get the key to their dorm, so the other three started unloading some of the smaller boxes.

After a few minutes, Kanaya jogged back towards them, the silver key glinting in the sunlight. They found their room quickly as they were on the ground floor due to Terezi's worsening vision. They spent the next hour or so bringing their luggage from the truck to the dorm and setting up the essentials; beds, food, hygiene. Finally, the four of them flopped onto the sofa that was thankfully supplied by the school. Terezi misjudged her fall and managed to land almost directly on top of Kanaya, who yelped out as Terezi's sharp elbows dug into her ribs. Dave laughed loudly at the sound and soon all of them were in fits of giggles, clutching their sides.


	2. Chapter 2

The clock read 2:47 am and Dave was still awake. He has suspected something like this would happen, he hated change and moving to a different state for college to live with people that he had never lived with before was different. It isn't like he didn't want to move here, he hated Texas. It was just distressing, being somewhere different. Even so, he would have to get to sleep as soon as possible. Orientation started at 11 am, which meant he had just over six hours to get some sleep which wasn't ideal. He was going to be around lots of new people tomorrow so he at least need a nights rest or else he was sure he wouldn't be able to cope.

He rubbed at his eyes and then sat up, clutching his stuffed crow's leg. Trying as hard as he could to not disturb anyone else, he tiptoed out of his room and towards Jade's. As he suspected, she was also awake. Bec was lying at the end of her bed, curled up by her feet. Her large, circular glasses were placed on her nightstand, and her breathing was slow but her eyes were wide open, staring at the bumpy ceiling. 

"Hey, do you mind if I come in here?" Dave asked nervously. He knew Jade wouldn't laugh at him, but he was still worried that she would judge him or make him go back to his own, unfamiliar room. Jade breathed a sigh of relief and patted the space next to her on the mattress, shifting over a little to make more room for him. Bec opened his eyes almost immediately at the sudden movement but calmed down when he saw it was just Dave. "It's all so new and weird," Jade whispered to him. "I love you guys, but I'm so scared to live here with you all. What if you get sick of me and decide to just move out?"

"Jade, we wouldn't do that. We think you are very cool and smart and you're our friend! But I get it, I was thinking 'bout the same thing" Dave replied, hoping he said the right thing to help his friend. A small smile appeared on her face and Dave congratulated himself internally _you are the best friend, it is you_. 

"Dave, I promise I will never abandon you, not ever. Best friends always, remember that. But right now we need to sleep, big day tomorrow. Goodnight Dave, Goodnight Mr Crow."  
"Goodnight Jade, Goodnight Bec," Dave responded quietly, failing to stifle a yawn. The pair slowly drifted to sleep.

Kanaya walked into Jade's room at 8:55 the next morning, hardly surprised to find both Dave and Jade laying there. The two had been friends for years and were more like siblings than some actual siblings she knew. Kanaya, ever the professional, had been awake for an hour already wanting to make the perfect first impression. She wore an outfit she had made herself, some stylish red trousers and a simple black shirt, not too flashy but still elegant and chic. Her ears were decorated with double venus earrings, a hint to any lovely ladies she may encounter. 

She knocked on the door, and when the pair began to stir she let them know the time and then went to make herself some breakfast. After around ten minutes, she saw Dave head back towards his room, closing the door behind him. A couple of minutes after that, Terezi left her room, smelling the pancakes Kanaya was attempting to make.

"C'mon Kanaya, please! You know I can't make food, I'll die! I'll starve to death and it'll be all your fault Miss Maryam" Terezi whined, trying and failing to steal a pancake from the stack on the counter. "Then perish," replied Kanaya, swatting her hand away with the spatula. Terezi pouted as Kanaya ate a forkful of pancake, making a begging gesture with her hands. Kanaya groaned dramatically, before allowing Terezi a forkful of her meal. At this moment, Jade walked out of her room, Bec at her heels. She was wearing a simple pinafore dress, her unruly curls pulled into a high ponytail.

"Can I get some pancakes too Kanaya?" she asked, and Bec's tail began to wag just at the mention of the word. Dave's head popped out of his doorway, "Did someone say Kanaya made us pancakes?" Kanaya groaned again, somehow even more dramatically than before and scowled at Terezi "Look what you did!" she said accusingly. Dave looked a little worried, thinking that they had angered Kanaya, but Jade caught his eye and mouthed _Joke_ at him. He nodded in thanks and understanding, and a smile returned to his face. "I suppose I could make some more pancakes for you all too," she said airily, making a hand gesture to show just how generous she was. Happily, the three squeezed around the small coffee table as Kanaya poured some more mix into the pan. 

They arrived at the community room about ten minutes before orientation was due to start, sitting down next to each other in the circle of chairs. Dave bounced his leg impatiently and spun his favourite fidget spinner, it didn't make any annoying noises and was red which is his favourite colour. Not long after the four of them sat down, a new group walked in. Dave counted seven new people walk into the room and sit by each other. He made mental notes of some of their characteristics, one of them looked extremely annoyed with the rest of the group, another had a rather prominent cowlick and looked similar to Jade so he guessed that was her cousin John, another wore glasses similar to Terezi but red and blue instead of her normal red. There were two that looked to be goths, one with curly dark hair and another with shorter, bleached hair with purple tips. The last two looked to be opposites, one small with dark short hair, swallowed by a green knit cardigan and the other tall with long blonde hair and what Dave thought to be a varsity jacket. They all sat next to each other and began talking amongst themselves, whispering and laughing. 

At around 10:57 another person rushed in, quickly taking a seat. They didn't sit near anyone else and instead chose to keep their eyes trained to the shiny tiles on the floor.

At 11:02, the teacher walked in and also took a seat in the circle. "Hello everyone! I am Mrs Smith, I'm going to be here to guide the group and answer any questions you have about the school!" she said cheerily, smiling at the group. "We're going to start with a simple ice breaker activity. I'd like you to go around the circle and let the group know your name, pronouns and major, please! I'd prefer for you to speak yourself, however, if you need, one of your friends can speak for you. Now, let's start with the person sat right here next to me" she said, gesturing to Kanaya. 

"Hi, I'm Kanaya Maryam, I'm here to study fashion and my pronouns are she/her!" she said, turning to Dave. "Dave Strider, archaeology major, he/him" The goth with the curly hair shot him finger guns, and he smiled back uneasily. They continued around the circle.

"Jade Harley, doing Physics, she/her. This is my ESA Bec, he/him"  
"I'm Terezi Pyrope! I'm a law student, she/her please and thanks"  
"I'm Karkat Vantas, here for English and I use he/him"  
"Uh, I'm John Egbert, I'm here for an Illustration course, he/him!"  
"Sollux Captor, I do coding, he/him"  
"I'm Rose Lalonde, I'm also here for English, I use she/her pronouns"  
"Aradia Megido, I'm an archaeology student and I use she/her!"  
"I'm Nepeta Leijon, I do Illustration, same as John, I use they, she and ze!"  
"Yeah I'm Vriska Serket, I'm here for baseball and, uh, I use she/her"  
"I'm Eridan Ampora, I'm here for fashion too and I go by they/he"

"Okay great!" said Mrs Smith, clapping her hands together. "Now, I have a few more activities planned, and then we can do a bit of a Q and A and then you will be free to go! Now, for the next game.."

At 3:16 pm, they were finally allowed to leave. Kanaya had plucked up the courage to exchange numbers with the goth girl, Rose. Jade had spoken to John for a while, and Terezi had pretty much just stared at Vriska for the majority of the time, yet hadn't managed to talk to her once. Dave had managed to make some awkward small talk with a few people, had a nice conversation with Aradia and a surprisingly easy conversation with Nepeta, who had looked at him with curious eyes the whole time. They asked about his shades and he mumbled something about eye contact and she looked pleased, as though things were falling into place, bit by bit.

They were back in their dorm by 3:20 pm, and almost as soon as the door closed, Terezi was already chattering about the new people. Kanaya, Dave and Terezi moved towards the sofa, and Jade headed to the kitchen to get drinks for the four of them. When she made her way back, the tray of mugs in hand, Terezi was mid-rant about Vriska.  
"-a varsity player, Kan! Varsity! I bet she's so good! And she's so pretty! I've never really been a fan of raccoon tails but she just, she pulls them off!" she ranted, gesturing wildly with her arms. Kanaya laughed as she took her mug of tea off the tray. "Yes, Terezi, I heard you the first time, you think she's amazing and you wanna kiss her, we get it!" 

Jade raised her eyebrows over the top of her mug. "Well Kanaya, what about you and that gothy girl? What was it? Rose?" Suddenly, three pairs of eyes fell upon Kanaya.   
"Yes, Rose. I don't know what you want me to say, she's very interesting to talk to, and we share interests! I simply got her number so we could talk more about our shared interests is all." she said nonchalantly. Dave sipped his apple juice. "And it has nothing to do with the fact you're totally in love with her, or the double venus necklace she was wearing?" he asked innocently. Terezi cackled wildly, and Jade giggled too, trying not to choke on her drink.

They stayed sat there for hours, laughing and joking with each other, until Kanaya rose to her feet. "I think I must leave to my room now, I don't want dark circles when I meet Rose for coffee tomorrow! And please don't be too loud, we don't need a noise complaint on our first night for goodness sake". She left quickly before she could be bombarded with questions, but didn't quite make it to her room before Terezi shouted "A date!"

It was another hour before the other three decided it was time for bed. "Oh, Rezi before I forget, what time are we going to the disability services tomorrow? We need to go this week and I'd prefer not to go alone." Dave asked her. 

"Oh, shit dude I forgot! What'd I do without you coolkid? I think around two? I need a lie in my batteries are drained from today."

He nodded at her, then they both disappeared into their respective rooms. Tonight, both Dave and Jade fell asleep in their beds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chap will b from the angle of the other group promise! as always pls point out mistakes + inaccuracies bc I wanna make this as good as possible bro!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mainly nepeta pov, this will probably get deleted and replaced soon bc I don't like it but its the best I can do rn. sorry lol <3
> 
> nepeta's stim toys r real! 
> 
> chewable cat pendant necklace, jumbo slow rising ice cream sandwich, chewable rainbow block pendant and they r all from the stimtastic site this isn't a spon I'm jus sayin lmao

Nepeta woke up early that morning, the sun shone harshly on her face between the crack in the curtains. They winced slightly and shielded their eyes from the bright rays. The clock read 8:46 am and they smiled; they had so much time spare before they had to go to the services office. She could hear some of her friends in the kitchen, but couldn't quite make out who it was, most likely Rose and Aradia as they were both known early birds. They stood up and stretched, years of gymnastics as a child meant they were very flexible and agile and they intended to stay that way

In her pyjamas, she rushed from her room to the bathroom, desperate to rid her mouth from morning breath and take a shower. Thankfully, the room was free and she quickly locked the door behind her and stepped under the warm water.

After showering, she wrapped her hair up in a t-shirt and tugged on their dressing gown, finally taking the time to say good morning to her friends. In the kitchen, ze found Rose and Aradia stood by the counter presumably making toast. Nepeta jumped onto a counter that wasn't being used and grinned at Aradia. "How do you shower so quickly Nep? You were in there barely five minutes and already you're sat in the kitchen fresh as a daisy." Aradia asked, amazed at her friend's speed. Nepeta simply shrugged and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl next to her, "I keep my hair short and have a routine, really it isn't hard."

"That's where I'm going wrong then" sighed Aradia, gesturing to her long curls. "Anyways, what are your plans for today, you two?" she asked, pushing herself up onto the counter next to Nepeta. "Well, I need to get dressed and find my forms. Equius packed them for me and I have no idea where he put them but I know they're somewhere. Then I need to head down to the disability office so that they can put my accommodations in place before the school year begins or else things might get all messed up. Then I might make some new panels for my comic or see if I have any commissions because I haven't checked in a while and I need to start drawing again." ze rambled, some of the words muddling together but the other two understood what their friend was trying to say.

Rose chuckled, "Well, you certainly have a lot planned. I have a pretty free schedule except I'm meeting Kanaya for coffee later this afternoon. Aradia is gonna help me decide what to do, if you're back in time you're welcome to help too, I know you'll already be thinking up ship names for us anyways." Of course, she was right. Nepeta had caught the pair talking and exchanging phone numbers the day before and was thinking about how good of a couple they would make.

"I'll see if I'm back in time if I'm not you have to tell me all the details when I see you next! What about you Aradia?" she asked, making sure to balance out the conversation so that nobody felt left out.

"I don't have much planned for today really, I need to help Rose this afternoon and then I'm calling Fef tonight, is there anything you need passing onto Equius?" she asked as she took some toast from Rose. "I don't think so! I'll text you if I think of anything urgent, but I'm calling him soon anyways!" Nepeta glanced up at the clock on the wall, its hands showing that it was just past ten in the morning. "I think I'm actually going to check and see if I have some commissions now actually. I have some time to spare, and it'll save me time later," they said, sliding off the smooth countertop."See you this afternoon!" she called to her friends as she headed to her room.

There were a few requests sitting in her inbox, and she got to working of them immediately. Luckily she remembered to set an alarm before she started drawing, as the hours she spent working seemed to fly by. She managed to tear herself away from her tablet and walked over to the rack on her wall that held the few clothes she had managed to unpack already, Picking out clothes took a lot longer than showering. She had to account for so many different factors, the sunny weather, her sensory issues, the fact she would be seeing people she wasn't friends with, and also make it all look at least halfway decent. At least with the reduced wardrobe, there were a lot fewer options which made choosing a lot easier. Eventually, she just decided on something simple, black leggings, a plain grey shirt, her green cardigan and of course her beanie. It was a gift from Equius and just wearing it provided great comfort. She chose two chew necklaces, a rainbow block and a black cat and for extra security put a squishy in her cat satchel. Doing serious things tended to make them anxious so they decided to take as many precautions they thought necessary to avoid a public meltdown. Plus the squishy was adorable.

At last, she found the forms in a box that Equius had labelled '!! IMPORTANT SCHOOL STUFF!!' which she probably should've checked first. With the forms tucked safely in her satchel, Nepeta walked out of the front door towards the office.

As they opened the glass door to the office, Nepeta noticed two familiar faces. After thinking for a minute, she connected that the two people waiting by the desk were Dave and Terezi from orientation the day before. She smiled at them and waved, and thankfully they both waved back. "Nepeta, right? We live in the same building!" exclaimed Terezi. Dave simply smiled and nodded in greeting. "Yeah, that's me! I think we live on the floor above you guys, sorry if we're too noisy" Nepeta laughed awkwardly, hoping her friends weren't disturbing people. It'd be bad if this was her first conversation with two new people and they already found her annoying,

"No, no it's fine! Don't worry about it! If anything, we're the noisy ones," she reassured. "So Nepeta, what brings you here if you don't mind?" she asked, an expression of what Nepeta decided was genuine curiosity on her face. "Rezi you cant just ask hir that, we don't know even know them that well!" Dave interrupted, hoping his friend wasn't offending Nepeta because she seemed cool and he didn't want to make her upset. 

"Don't worry about it, I don't mind telling you guys. I need to set up accommodations for my autism," they replied, tugging on the necklace for comfort. It wasn't like she actively tried to hide that she was autistic, it was just some people reacted weirdly when they found out.

"Wait seriously, dude? Me too! That's sick!" Dave said a genuine smile on his face.

"Nice! I thought so yesterday because of the fidget spinner and the eye contact but I didn't wanna say anything because I didn't wanna be wrong and embarrass us but I was right!" she said, her hands flapping as she spoke. They then remembered that Terezi was also standing there, probably feeling quite left out, and quickly turned back towards her bashfully. "Sorry, that was rude, I just got carried away. Why are you here, Terezi?" she apologized, worrying that she had upset her new friend.

"It's perfectly fine, you don't need to worry about upsetting me, pal. And I'm here because I'm blind - well, going blind. God, whats the fancy name?" she paused for a moment to think. "Visually impaired! I'm here because I'm visually impaired, hence the glasses and the cane" she gestured towards a red cane with a dragon head on top.

"Your cane is so cool!" Nepeta exclaimed, admiring the intricate snout of the dragon. "You know, this might sound weird but it reminds me of this girl I used to roleplay with when I was like, 12? I was a cat of course, and she would be this red dragon."

Terezi's jaw dropped. "No way!" she whispered before turning towards Nepeta. "Not to sound like a stalker, but were you arsenicCatnip on forums by chance?" she asked, her voice hopeful.

"Oh my god! gallowsCalibrator? Dude, I think about you all the time! Come here!" Nepeta almost shouted, hugging Terezi. Dave stood there in silence, one minute they were strangers and the next they were shouting and hugging? Was he supposed to hug Nepeta too, because he didn't that was something he could handle? Terezi must have noticed his puzzled expression because she turned to him and gestured toward Nepeta. "Dave, meet my first girlfriend! We used to roleplay together online, and then we dated for like a year. We never met but I always knew she was real!" Terezi cackled joyfully.

"And you never introduced her to us? We need to make up for lost time immediately!" Dave exclaimed dramatically. "Nepeta, would you do us the honour of visiting our flat? After we deliver our precious forms, that is." He asked, bowing. Nepeta giggled and curtsied in return.

"It would be my honour!" she replied.

When they returned to the flat it was empty, no Jade or Bec to be found. "She's probably out" Terezi shrugged. "Bec's a pretty big dog, he probably needs a lot of exercises so he doesn't get all fat!" Nepeta laughed along nervously, suddenly worrying about how big the dog really was. Of course, Bec had attended the meeting yesterday with Jade, but he was lying down the whole time! What if he secretly had huge legs hidden underneath him? Nepeta was quite short, would the dog tower over her? She was torn from her thoughts by Terezi shouting about how they should play Wii because "it has the best games Dave shut the fuck up." 

They had been playing for a while when Nepeta remembered that she was mean to go and help Rose prepare to go see Kanaya. She reached into her satchel for her phone but found only her ice cream sandwich squishy. She groaned internally and turned to Dave. "Hey, my friends might be wondering where I am, and I don't have my phone on me? Do either of you have any of their numbers? The only phone number I know is Equius' and he doesn't even go here." she asked. Both of them shook their heads, so Nepeta started to stand up to make her way back to her own apartment to see if Aradia was still home. 

"Oh yeah!" Terezi exclaimed suddenly. "Jade has John's number because they're cousins, right? So when Jade gets back we can ask her to text John and then he can tell your other friends, yeah?" As she spoke, she was inserting Just Dance 2 into the console. Nepeta nodded, that did make sense, and so they sat back down next to Dave as Terezi picked a song for her to prove her talents.

After about half an hour of watching Terezi flail her arms and legs wildly, Jade returned from her walk. "Jade meet my girlfriend from when I was twelve!" Terezi shouted from where she was playing where she stood in front of the TV.

"Hello?" Jade said nervously, cautious of new people in the flat, especially so soon after moving in. She relaxed almost immediately after realising the girlfriend in question was just Nepeta from upstairs. Nepeta waved at her, clearly feeling just as awkward as Jade. "Goodness, have they not given you a drink? What terrible hosts! Follow me into the kitchen and I'll get you something." Jade said, gesturing for Nepeta to follow her. Nepeta obliged, hoping that ze could get a drink and also hopefully ask Jade to text John on their behalf,

After pouring Nepeta a drink, the two sat together on the countertop, trying to escape the noisy room next door. Even with the doors firmly closed, the noise of their bickering still carried through. To distract each other, they decided to play some games. "How about 20 questions? But in the normal way, not the other way," suggested Nepeta. Jade agreed, and the game began. The questions started out simple, birthdays, favourite foods, first pets, but they gradually got more invasive. However, even though the pair had just met they felt comfortable around each other so the answers came easily enough. When the game was over, a different game began and soon Nepeta had entirely forgotten why they were in the kitchen in the first place.

Aradia tapped her fingers on the counter nervously, the rest of her friends sat around her. Vriska was standing, occasionally pacing much to Karkat's annoyance. Nepeta had left to go to the office hours ago and nobody had heard from them since. Normally this would be fine, but Nepeta has been known to run away before. Sometimes, when overwhelmed, her fight or flight kicks in and she runs away from the situation and hides until she feels safe. Considering she was in a totally new environment, the chance of this happening seemed high, and her friends were worried. In some cases, she comes back herself and apologises profusely, but usually, its Equius who finds her and takes care of her. The pair have been best friends for as long as anyone can remember, so he knows all of the places that she likes to hide. In this situation, there are no known places for her to be, and no Equius to save her. 

Vriska was visibly more stressed than her roommates, as this was the first time something like this had happened while she had been friends with Nepeta. Finally, she slammed her hand onto the table. "That's it, I'm looking for her. You two are her brothers!" she said, gesturing to Sollux and Karkat "You're her brothers and you're just sitting there! I know they're an adult but that doesn't mean they aren't 4'11 on a giant college campus! I'm gonna see if the guys downstairs have seen them yet" she said, before turning and walking out of the door.

Nepeta was still at the flat. The sky was dark and the four of them were all sat on the sofa, flicking between channels, Just Dance long abandoned. Kanaya had texted not long after Jade returned to let her roommates know that she and Rose decided to go see a movie on a whim, and wouldn't be back till late. They had finally settled on a kids cartoon when there was a sharp knock at the door. "Do you want me to get it?" Nepeta asked, sitting up from where she was lying next to Jade.

"Sure," replied Dave. "It's probably just Kanaya back from her date. We can quiz her for all the juicy details and you can tell her how to win Rose's heart."

When Nepeta opened the door, she was not met by Kanaya. Instead, she was looking up at Vriska Serket, who was looking a tad more stressed than usual. "Are you okay, Vriskers?" she asked, wondering why her friend looked so worried. Vriska looked as though she had just been asked the stupidest question in the world. "Am _I_ okay? Paws, nobody has seen you for hours! It's dark out and you haven't asked anyone's texts! Even Sollux was getting stressed out, and we almost had to call Equius. We thought you got fucking kidnapped or ran away again!" Nepeta flinched at Vriska's tone. Had it been hours? It felt like maybe two hours at most, but the sky behind Vriska was dark and so they realised their friend was telling the truth.

"I'm sorry! I left my phone in my room and the I saw Dave and Terezi at the disability office and did you know that Dave has autism too? And then I found out that Terezi is my online girlfriend from when I was twelve isn't that crazy? So then I came back here to play video games and then I was talking to Jade and we have a lot in common you know and then I just lost track of time and I forgot to ask her to message John for me because I forgot my phone at home and I'm sorry if you're mad at me and I promise I didn't mean to make you worry! Please don't call Equius though, you know he gets all worried over nothing. But I think you should talk to Terezi, I think you two would get along well!" Nepeta spoke quickly, trying to make sure they included all the details and make sure all the points were covered.

"Look, Paws, it's fine. You are a grown-up, we were just worried. Buuuuuuuut," she said, dragging out the last word "I would like to meet this girlfriend of yours."

Nepeta beamed and pulled Vriska into the room. "This is Vriska if you guys remember, she was worried because I didn't go home but it's all okay now. Is it okay if she stays a while?" Nepeta asked, worrying if she was being rude by just inviting people into their home.

"Yeah, that's fine," Terezi answered quickly. Dave and Jade exchanged looks before moving over to make some space for Vriska on the sofa.

When Kanaya returned an hour later, she found all of them passed out on the couch, awkwardly sprawled on top of each other. She took a picture quickly, before debating whether or not to wake them all up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ur welcome 4 kind vriska doe, i am a vriska simp first and a human second. little nicknames and bonding ig, will almost definitely edit the jade nep scene bc ik it feels rushed


	4. Chapter 4

Halloween was fast approaching and John was so excited. He didn't have many friends back home so he would have to spend the night with his dad. Not that his dad wasn't great, he just knew that other kids his age were going to parties or even just trick or treating with their friends. But now he was at college, he could spend time with all his online friends, and new friends he'd made at school! He decided to host a party at the apartment so he could spend the night with all of his friends at once, and just have fun.

Karkat was not as excited by the idea of a party as John, knowing he would probably end up being the only one tidying the next day, but John just looked so _pretty_ when he was excited so he went along with it. Plus, he actually quite liked dressing up, it was fun. 

When Rose told Kanaya, she was ecstatic. She wasn't really a party girl, but this meant she could make a whole new costume which would be fun and could possibly count for some extra credit. She was a little worried for Dave and Jade as they both got overwhelmed quite easily but hoped that being surrounded by friends might help. She decided on a vampire costume, cliche yes, but it was simple and elegant. 

The rest of the group were reasonably excited about the party, finally having an excuse to let loose and spend time with all their friends. Even some of their other friends were coming from across the city. It was going to be a tight fit, but it'd be worth it to finally reunite.

On the day of the party, Karkat, John and Aradia spent hours decorating. Origami bats hanging from the ceiling, fake cobwebs stuck to doorways, skulls on tabletops, the whole deal. Nepeta carved a few pumpkins to sit around the house for some soft lighting and extra decoration. 

The first people to arrive were Rose and Kanaya. Rose was wearing a knee-length plum dress and heeled boots. A miniature witch hat was sat on her head at a jaunty angle, and gold hoops hung from her ears. Kanaya was wearing a long black dress, simple in design. The sleeves were wide, akin to Morticia Addams' signature dress. Her lips were dark, and when she smiled John noticed small fangs on her teeth. 

Soon after, Dave, Jade and Bec were knocking on the door. Jade was wearing a white dress, and had dog ears clipped into her hair, "I'm dressed as Bec!" she laughed, nodding towards her dog. As John leaned down to pat him, he noticed his regular collar had been replaced with a bright green one. Dave was dressed pretty normally, a red hoodie and black jeans. He noticed John's disappointed expression and quickly pulled up his hood, revealing two devil horns sewn on top. John's expression brightened quickly, happy his friend had made an effort.

Equius and Feferi walked in about half an hour later and were immediately swept up by Nepeta and Aradia. Feferi was dressed as a mermaid, and Aradia a sea witch; their costumes complimented each other perfectly while keeping their own personal tastes in mind, it was perfect. Nepeta's costume was simple, cat ears and a tail. It was unoriginal but expected. Equius was a robot, bolts painted on his joints and grey paint on his face. The two pairs walked off to talk amongst themselves, and so John walked back over to Karkat and lazily slung his arm over his boyfriend's shoulders. Karkat leaned into his side slightly, feeling safer next to John. His friends were great obviously, but he had forgotten how manic it could get when they all grouped up and honestly it was very overwhelming. John seemed to sense his unease and they moved away from the rest of the party into the kitchen for a break.

Dave was sitting on the sofa. His hoodie was swallowing him whole and his legs were bouncing a mile a minute. He hadn't realized quite how many friends would be attending this party or that the music would be so loud or that people would smoke indoors. He knew that he was supposed to leave when he started to get overwhelmed but he didn't want to make a scene. Instead, he settled for trying to hide as much inside his hoodie as physically possible, trying to find solace in the soft material. He squeezed his eyes closed and tried his hardest to block out the smell of the smoke that was invading his nostrils. 

After what could've been an hour or five minutes, Dave felt a small tug on his hood. Reluctantly, he moved the material from over his eyes. Standing in front of him was Nepeta's brother, Sollux. His stance was awkward, the palm of his hand rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Hey, I'm sorry for touching the hood I just didn't want to, y'know, touch you accidentally? I just mean like, I think you're having an overload right? We can go outside if you want?" He asked, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he spoke. Dave nodded gratefully, getting up to follow Sollux wherever they were going. They passed through Sollux's room, he moved quickly to the large window at the end of the room. Despite his thin frame, he opened it with ease and gestured for Dave to follow him through. 

The metal floor of the fire escape was cool from the night air and the sky was about as clear as a city sky could be. Dave pulled his knees up to his chest and leaned his head against the brick wall behind him. Sollux stretched out his legs in front of him, his feet hanging between the bars of the railing. The pair sat in comfortable silence for a while, the soft buzz of the city below provided a comforting blanket of sound to partially block the harshness of the party on the other side of the wall.

"You feeling better? Nep likes it out here so I thought it might help you out a bit." Sollux asked, turning his head towards Dave slightly. Dave nodded, the fire escape was nice, especially when compared to his previous environment. 

"John wouldn't have been upset if you hadn't been able to come y'know? He may seem like a bit of an idiot most of the time but he's still a good guy. Looks out for his friends." Sollux said, smiling slightly. Dave assumed he was probably thinking about something John had done in the past.

"No, I know that. John is cool. I wanted to come, you guys are all cool. I just didn't think that there would be so many friends here, or that the friends would like smoking and loud music so much. Overwhelming." Dave shrugged, hoping that the other boy wouldn't think him ridiculous. "Thank you, though. For helping. Like I know you're Nepeta's brother and all, but you literally have no clue who I am, dude. Nice of you, you're nice." he mumbled.

A slight blush lit up Sollux's cheeks and he faced forward again quickly hoping that Dave wouldn't notice. "I would be such a dick if I just left you there. Nepeta would've eviscerated me, as would all of your friends probably. Plus, you seem cool. I keep meaning to come by with Nepeta sometimes but it just feels awkward y'know. Just tagging along with my twin when she goes to see her friends as if I can't make any of my own" he trailed off, realising how weird that sounded. 

"You and Nepeta are twins?" Dave asked, "I would never have guessed, you two look so different! I mean siblings I sorta can see, the nose and the ears, but I think you look way more like Karkat than Nep. Huh." 

Sollux smiled widely at that, and Dave smiled too. They spoke for a while longer, Sollux explaining to a confused but supportive Dave about his computer set up, Dave ranting about birds animatedly while Sollux nodded and asked questions appropriately. Dave was midway through discussing why crows have funerals when a third voice was heard. 

"Dave? Where are you?" a girl's voice spoke. Her voice was slightly panicked, and Dave could hear her fingernails tapping against the door impatiently. 

"It's Jade," Dave whispered to Sollux. "She probably wants to leave."

"Harley! Come to the window!" Sollux called, not bothering to get up from where he was sitting. Jade's footsteps were cautious, but Bec had no hesitation as he ran towards the source of the noise. He poked his snout through the slightly open window and then, with Jade's assistance, his whole head. He barked happily when he saw Dave and butted his head into Jade's leg to let her know to calm down. 

"There you are! Gods, Dave, I was so worried about you! So many new people here and I couldn't find- oh." Jade's relieved ramblings cut short as she noticed Sollux sitting next to Dave."Who are you?" she said simply, cocking her head to the side slightly.

"Wow, Harley. I'm wounded. It's fatal. I'm going to die of sorrow." Sollux said monotonously, a hand over his heart.

"This is Sollux," Dave interrupted "He's Nepeta's brother, he helped me."

"Dude don't tell people that! I have an asshole reputation to uphold!" Sollux said indignantly but offered a hand to Jade all the same. 

"Sollux Captor, you're currently standing in my room," he said. Before Jade could shake his hand, Bec nuzzled into it. "Hell yeah, dude! Your dog is fucking awesome!" He grinned, scratching Bec behind the ears.

"As much as I would love to stay and chat, we really need to be going. Terezi is very drunk, and she has a 10 am class tomorrow and everything is very loud here." Jade sighed.  
Dave stood up quickly and slid up the window. He had already hoisted a leg over the ledge when Sollux spoke.

"Hey, DS - that's you - when you get a chance, message me on Pesterchum yeah? I'm twinArmageddons."

Dave nodded and smiled, before ducking under the window and falling not very gracefully onto Sollux's floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope u enjoy, as always all feedback is appreciated ily have a gr8 day

**Author's Note:**

> im not from the usa so if there are any mistakes in how I show college there pls let me know!! I'm googling what I can but I'm bound to get a few things wrong!!! okay ily!


End file.
